Statue of Taweret

Egyptian (Artist)

ca. 180-100 BCE (Late Ptolemaic)

red granite
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )

Ancient Egyptians believed the goddess Taweret, whose name translates as "the Great One," offered protection to women during pregnancy and childbirth. She is represented as a hippopotamus with a swollen belly, pendulous human breasts, the limbs of a lion, and the back and tail of a crocodile. Taweret was a benevolent deity and was commonly depicted on amulets. Underscoring her function as a protector, she holds the hieroglyph "sa," meaning protection, in each hand, (the cartouches on her shoulders were added at a later date, and have so far escaped a definitive reading). Although her cult gained great importance, she had no temples of her own.

Provenance

**Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.**

Dr. Eddé, Alexandria, Egypt; Eddé Collection Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, May 31-June 2, 1911, no. 525; Henry Walters, Baltimore, [date of acquisition unknown] by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Exhibitions

2013-2014

Egypt’s Mysterious Book of the Faiyum. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
10/20/1998	Examination	survey
10/25/2000	Treatment	cleaned; repaired; loss compensation

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Geographies

Egypt, Delta (Xoïs) (Place of Origin)

Measurements

H: 20 7/8 x W: 8 7/16 x D: 9 3/4 in. (53 x 21.5 x 24.7 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired by Henry Walters

Location in Museum

Centre Street: Second Floor: Egyptian Art

Accession Number

In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.

22.223

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